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BBC Radio 4

Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.

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1,133 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes1133

Newest first

Feb 8, 2025 · 8 min
Are black babies in the US really more likely to die under the care of white doctors?
How baby mortality statistics gave a misleading impression about racism in healthcare
Feb 1, 2025 · 8 min
Are quantum computers already super-powerful?
We investigate what a big claim about the speed of a quantum chip really means
Jan 25, 2025 · 8 min
Did Trump make billions with his meme-coin?
We investigate if the US president’s crypto is really worth tens of billions of dollars.
Jan 18, 2025 · 8 min
Can redheads handle 25% more pain than brunettes?
We investigate if people with red hair have a hidden pain-blocking superpower
Jan 11, 2025 · 8 min
Do 79% of Swedish asylum seekers go on holiday to the country they fled from?
We investigate a refugee claim that is often being taken out of context.
Jan 4, 2025 · 9 min
Numbers of the year part 2
Our listeners favourite numbers of 2024.
Dec 28, 2024 · 8 min
Numbers of the year 2024
We ask experts about their favourite stats from 2024.
Dec 21, 2024 · 8 min
Did Mussolini make the trains run on time?
Fact checking the fascist regime.
Dec 14, 2024 · 8 min
How many Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’?
How many Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’?
Dec 7, 2024 · 9 min
Did one in 10 Greeks die in World War Two?
We investigate if 10 percent of the Greek population died during the second world war
Nov 30, 2024 · 8 min
Can Elon Musk save the US Government $2 trillion?
We look at whether DOGE can successfully balance the US budget.
Nov 23, 2024 · 8 min
Do fossil fuels get $7 trillion in subsidies?
We investigate a huge estimate for how much governments pay to support coal, gas and oil
Nov 16, 2024 · 8 min
Did 20 million votes really go missing in the US election?
We investigate a viral graph that suggests turnout was drastically lower than in 2020
Nov 9, 2024 · 10 min
Do we have enough clothes for the next six generations?
We delve into the stats on the scale of the fashion industry
Nov 2, 2024 · 8 min
What can economics learn from sport?
From loss aversion to game theory, how sports provide evidence for economic theories
Oct 30, 2024 · 28 min
Are older drivers more dangerous?
Plus, winter fuel deaths, prison sentence maths and leaves on railway tracks.
Oct 26, 2024 · 10 min
Is Trump right about violent crime in Venezuela and the US?
Donald Trump says Venezuela is becoming safer than the US. Is he right?
Oct 23, 2024 · 28 min
Do US crime statistics miss out the most violent cities?
Plus: MP capital gains claims and grizzly bear berry habits.
Oct 19, 2024 · 8 min
Nobel prize: Why are some countries so much richer than others?
Why Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
Oct 16, 2024 · 28 min
When are numbers like a horse at a gymkhana?
Plus: the taxes of 60 very rich people, water bill spreadsheets, and is 0 a small number?